Photo: Arnau Vinyi
Ukrainian karting star Sasha Bondarev will make his single-seater racing debut later this year in Italian Formula 4.
The Williams Formula 1 junior will contest the final two rounds of the season at Barcelona (September 27-29) and Monza (October 25-27), and last month started his preparations by driving for Prema in F4 tests at Mugello and Barcelona.
“My preparation so far has been very positive and happy that we made a massive step in performance recently. Can’t wait for my first race,” he told Formula Scout after his second test. The team he will race for is yet to be disclosed.
The 15-year-old has had quite a roller-coaster of a career so far, particularly in light of what has been happening in his home country since 2022.
Bondarev was racing as a privateer in 2021, and the year after was signed by the crack Ricky Flynn Motorsport team to compete in OK-Junior karts, and made the most of it prior to injury. He won the WSK Super Master Series, and was on course for a high position in the Champions of the Future series before having his left leg broken in a violent crash during a round of the CIK-FIA European championship in May.
He was back karting by November 2022, and despite missing events still came ninth in CotF and 24th in the European standings. At the end of the year he joined the WH Sports management stable that has guided Ollie Bearman to F1.
Bondarev became a factory Kart Republic driver for 2023, and went on to win the European title, come fifth in CotF and eighth in WSK SMS. He was signed by Williams in September, and later stepped up to OK karts and was seventh in the WSK Final Cup.
Last year Bondarev also started working with Prema, as he joined its karting squad which uses Kart Republic chassis. He has remained with them and on OK karts in 2024, and kicked the season off by winning the WSK Champions Cup. After that he was WSK SMS runner-up, but is currently 16th in CotF after missing the most recent round.